I am realizing the restrictions a person has when part of the body does not function as usual. Simple things that we take for granted have become frustrating obstacles.

Have you ever actually thought about the simple act of climbing or coming down the stairs? Living in a 3 storey house this has become my daily feat. Taking it for granted as I would often run up and down the stairs from kitchen to my studio to my prop attic.

It’s not easy now. I cannot bend the knee to a 90 degree angle so the extra angle I need to do the stairs is not easy. I am training everyday with my physiotherapist and it’s getting better and better. My legs need to be strong before I go into surgery. Then I will have to go through the whole thing again. The brace, the training … my knee will be my problem zone till summer comes around.

If it ever comes around that is! Right now it is looking more like a winter wonderland in Weimar. Everyday I wake up to a little more snow and apparently it’s supposed to stay this way till Easter. A white Easter? Imagine that!

I am defying it all I can with lot’s of colorful flowers in the house and dreaming of sensual ripe cherries and picnics in the park and just looking forward to spending more time in the warmth. I think my knee would like that too. It’s time that Spring shows itself soon!

A little while ago I received a big package from the lovely people at Blueboxtree Parties. Like a child on an egg hunt I dug into the styrofoam pieces and picked out, not eggs, but beautifully wrapped cake stands and decorations. The stunning mint green cakestand inspired the girlie in me and I found myself in the kitchen making cupcakes.

Now for those who know me will know that I am not the type to make cute little frosted cupcakes. It’s just not me. But something about browsing through the Blueboxtree website brought out the urge to make frosted cupcakes. These are not the real girlie cupcakes. Seriously! Look around the blogoshpere and you will see intricately decorated cupcakes with sprinkles and sparkles. Seriously? I’d rather spend my time eating my baked treats rather than spending all that time bent over the frosting. It’s not good for the back nor is it good for my knee. So folks this is the best you will get out of frosted cupcakes on What’s For Lunch, Honey?

The color of the cakestand inspired me to use a jar of pistachio cream I had in my pantry and trying to ignore the white and grey outside I used the cute Easter decorations I got from Blueboxtree Parties.

These cupcakes have a fantastic light and fluffy texture somewhere between a financier and muffin. I made these with Sandy who not only helped me whisk and pipe in the kitchen but was also my lovely model and assistant during the shoot. I feel that the recipe definitely needs more crunch so please go ahead and add a handful of chopped pistachios to the batter. They make a special treat to hide in the Easter nests and will be a hit on your Easter brunch or coffee table.

Line a muffin baking from (for 12 muffins) with paper forms. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees C.

In a clean mixing bowl whisk together the lime zest, 2 tablespoons lime juice, eggs the pistachio cream, sugar, vanilla seeds. oil and milk. Add the dry ingredients and using a spatula mix together until the batter is smooth and the lumps have disappeared.

Fill the muffin forms with half of the mixture and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack. Line the baking form with 12 additional paper forms and fill with remaining batter and bake as previously.

To make the frosting cream the butter, vanilla seeds and icing sugar together in a bowl until light and fluffy. Stir in the melted chocolate. And fill into a piping bag using your favorite icing nozzle. Place in the refrigerator to set a bit.

Once the cupcakes have cooled completely decorate them with the icing, placing a raspberry (or half) on top for the color.

Place in the refrigerator (if your kitchen is warm) until time to serve.

Verdict

If you want the cupcakes to have a more vivid green color add some organic food coloring to the batter. I can also see these with desiccated coconut in the batter for a tropical flavor. Pistachios and coconut make a great flavor pairing … I might be experimenting with those next.

I think they look quite cute and pretty Meeta.. Lol... I can only imagine the hassle your leg must give you. I would go bananas if it happened to me! (fingers crossed it won't) I'm loving the sound of these pistachio cupcakes although I never bake cupcakes for fun since I have to bake them too many times for work already.. ;)

Hello my rocket girl! It was a pleasure to bake and chat and laugh and do all the "girlie stuff" but we have been adult girlies, right ;-)! If you need for some reason a hand model - here I am - with lots of different nailpolish colors pairing well with your styling props :-)Hugs,Sandy

The pistachio cream is similar to peanut butter only it is slightly lighter and not so heavy like peanut butter. One can actually substitute this recipe with any kind of nut butter or chocolate spread!

Hi! I just find your page and I love it... amazing pictures! (and amazing cupcakes) I'm not very into cupcakes, but that's just because I think I don't have enough art to do what you do! I'm gonna take a look!

Such gorgeous clicks and beautiful cupcakes - I love how you style your food - so classy and stylish! Whenever i see a new post from you I spent atleast 15 -20 minutes here :)I really hope you feel better soon - Take care !!

I hope that buy now you are much better. Knees injuries do heal very slowly. Pistachio in any recipe already gets my taste buds all excited. Little morcels of 'pistachioness' are irresistable. Just need to google how to make pistachio cream.

Oh I know what you mean about part of the body not functioning as usual, it is very frustrating indeed! For me it is because I only just found out last summer that I have an autoimmune illness which makes me very weak and tired all the time. You just want to move on but your body doens't want to come with you ;-) Hope you feel better soon!Oh I must ask, would you mind sharing where you found that fabulous cakes stand? Been looking for it all over!

Thank you for visiting What's For Lunch, Honey? and taking time to browse through my recipes, listen to my ramblings and enjoy my photographs. I appreciate all your comments, feedback and input. I will answer your questions to my best knowledge and respond to your comments as soon as possible.

In the meantime I hope you enjoy your stay here and that I was able to make this an experience for your senses.

Hello, I am Meeta a freelance food photographer, stylist and writer living in the cuturally rich city of Weimar, Germany with my husband and our son, where I enjoy preparing multi-cultural home cooked meals with fresh organic ingredients. What's for lunch, Honey? is my award winning food blog where I combine my love for food with my love for photography and styling...